My search and ad looking for a co-driver to go with me in Dakar 2016, has resulted in many responses.
Many candidates had good mechanical qualification and adventurous spirit. Few had the navigational skills. Even fewer had the budget to pay the Dakar entry fee.

But only one candidate had all of the above.
I found my co-driver – Bert Heskes from Holland.

And this weekend I am in England to meet up with him for the first time. We are meeting Paul Round in team RallyRaid’s workshop where we are also prepping the Desert Warrior rally car.

The Organizers of the Dakar have acknowledged the final decision of the Peruvian authorities to cancel the stages of the 2016 Dakar that was planned to pass through Peru.

Due to forecasts concerning the El Nino weather phenomenon, which is expected to be extremely violent this year, the Peruvian government has decided to make this issue a national priority by ensuring that all state services are able to mobilize if necessary to help the population that could be affected.

While hoping that the people of Peru will not have to face these predicted disasters, the entire Dakar organizing team is already hard at work to create an alternative route with optimal sporting and safety conditions both in Argentina and Bolivia.

The Dakar organizing team is at the disposal of all the competitors who have already entered to provide all relative information concerning these route changes in a timely manner.

The final route of the 2016 Dakar will be announced in the second half of September.

I was very sad to hear the news thos weekend about Chilean rally rider and driver Carlo de Gavardo, passing away in a heart attack, only 45 years of age.

He was a great rider and also a genuine person who was mentoring me when I was racing the World Cup championship back in 2004.

At races he was always friendly to everybody, and would help if possible. I got to know him in Rallye d’Orient in 2004, where he and I talked a long long time. That was in my early years and he gave me so much of his racing philosophy that has helped me in my career.